New Oakland police chief takes reins at tense time of reform

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The new interim Oakland police chief’s defining experience in the department has involved investigating other officers — a resume many see as a sign that court-ordered reforms now overshadow all aspects of policing the city.

And as Sean Whent takes control of a department in the cross hairs of both federal court overseers and citizens clamoring for safer streets, the question is whether court reforms will take precedence over public safety.

At 38 years old, Whent is just one year shy of being the youngest in department history. He is taking on the ambitious task of turning around crime in a city with the state’s highest violent crime rate while also trying to get out from under a decade’s worth of court oversight.